People News

He will also direct three study projects in education over the next
two years.

Mr. Kaagan announced in October that he would resign as commissioner
effective Feb. 26, 1988.

One of his forthcoming projects, to be sponsored jointly by the
Institute's Education Policy Research Center and the Educational
Testing Service, will examine the status of educational indicators in
the states. Another, sponsored by the Agency for Instructional
Technology, will explore the Indiana-based agency's role in fostering
the use of technology in schools.

A third project, sponsored by the Getty Foundation, will focus on
arts education.

Barbara Blackwell, principal of the Cora Kelly Magnet School in
Alexandria, Va., believes she can boost the performance of her students
through the power of positive thinking--instilled by recordings of
uplifting "subliminal" messages.

Ms. Blackwell recently proposed that the public-address system in
her elementary school begin playing soft-spoken messages of
encouragement, such as "I like school" and "I enjoy tests and do well
on them," against a background of natural, soothing sounds.

But a number of parents have expressed opposition to the tapes, and
school-district officials have told Ms. Blackwell to put the proposal
on hold.

Paul Masem, Alexandria's superintendent of schools, said last week
that the idea would not be implemented until a committee has studied
the issue. "There is a question of whether we should expose children to
unheard messages," he said.

Sixteen teachers and staff members at a Lemoyne, Pa., elementary school
can thank the school custodian for an annual salary supplement they
will be receiving for the next 26 years.

Frank Diehl, the custodian, has been buying the group lottery
tickets each week for about a year. And this fall it paid off.

Seventeen lottery players from the Herman Avenue Elementary
School--including, in addition to Mr. Diehl, the principal, a retired
custodian, 11 teachers, and three teachers' aides--have won a
$1.5-million jackpot and will split the proceeds.

Last month, they received their firstcheck from the winning ticket
they held in the state lottery's Oct. 21 "Super 7" drawing. In total,
the group will receive about $1.23 million--the net after federal taxes
are withheld--in 26 equal payments of $47,320.78.

Each person will receive about $2,800 a year for 26 years. The group
had previously won six smaller prizes, according to Mr. Diehl.

Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence, the best-selling book on
business management, is donating a portion of the royalties from his
latest book to a literacy-training group based in Washington.

Mr. Peters will channel profits from Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for
a Management Revolution, to plan, Inc., a nonprofit organization that
provides adult-literacy training in the capital area and also serves as
an advocacy group for national literacy programs. The organization
received its first check--for $14,000--late last month.

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